1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of health and physical fitness, and more specifically to the topic of exercise equipment and techniques.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Exercises known as "lunges" are commonly performed by athletes in order to strengthen the quadriceps and hamstring muscles of the legs, the gluteus muscles of the buttocks and the muscles of the back, shoulders and arms by standing in place while holding dumbbells or a barbell and then stepping backward with one leg, then forward again. In this motion, the athlete's torso drops and his or her knees will bend into a crouching position as the one leg steps back, and the muscles of the buttocks and legs are used to bring the body back up and forward as the athlete rises and steps forward again. Specifically, the muscles of the leg are primarily used to cause the upward motion, while the muscles of the butt are used to generate the forward motion.
When an athlete is performing lunges with weights, the primary direction of the resistance is down, because of gravity. In order for the athlete to focus the weight on the muscles of the buttocks, however, the direction of the resistance must move in the same path as the joint that the those muscles are working, which is the hip joint. The hip joint tends to move in a 45 degree angle down and back, then up again, returning to the starting position. Accordingly, although lunge exercises are probably the most effective exercise that can be performed with free weights to provide focused exercise to the muscles of the buttocks, the mechanics of the exercise are simply not effective in transmitting the resistance that is derived from free weights to the selected muscles.
Clearly a need exists for a system and method for exercising the muscles of the buttocks that is more effective than systems and method heretofore known at efficiently transmitting resistance force to those muscles during exercise.